The Maldives police launched Monday an investigation into hate speech and death threats after a public chat channel started branding individuals as apostates.
The ‘Murtad Watch’ (Apostate Watch) on Telegram identified and posted information about people who spoke out against an island magistrate court sentencing a woman to death by stoning earlier this week.
“We have observed a string of hate speech and threats ensuing from recent conversations on some social media platforms,” police tweeted. “While we investigate these, we urge both sides of the conversation to refrain from making derogatory remarks, especially threats to persons”.
In April 2017, liberal blogger Yameen Rasheed was killed by a radicalised group of young men who believed he was guilty of blasphemy and insulting Islam, according to police.
At the time, Yameen’s family questioned the ability of the police to conduct a credible investigation due to the failure to convict suspects in the abduction of journalist Ahmed Rilwan and the near-fatal attack on blogger Hilath Rasheed.
Two months before Rilwan went missing in August 2014, a vigilante mob abducted and interrogated several young men in a push to identify online activists advocating secularism or professing atheism.
The ‘Apostate Watch’ channel was created in November but became active on Monday. It had 121 subscribers as of Tuesday evening.
With a bullseye as its icon, the channel has posted screenshots of tweets criticising the death sentence along with names and photos of individuals and organisations deemed “apostates” and “enemies of Islam.”
“The ruling upon such a person is the same ruling as upon any apostate: their blood wealth and honour are Halal, they are not to be greeted, they are not to be prayed behind or upon, their marriages are dissolved, they cannot inherit from or be inherited by a Muslim and they cannot be buried with the Muslims. A legitimate Islamic authority must also apply the Hadd upon such people,” reads a message posted on the channel.
“What follows is some of those who today made their apostasy from Islam clear. We declare them as Murtadeen and every Muslim must do likewise as the issue of attacking the Shariah is a clear matter which no Muslim can be ignorant of.”
Screenshots and photos were followed with Quranic verses and hadith (teachings of the Prophet) referring to “disbelievers” and people who “mock Islam.”
After the police tweet, the group vowed to return and launch new Twitter and Facebook accounts if it was deleted.
“Brothers and sisters, many of the Munafiqeen [hypocrites] are calling to report this channel so we urge you all to save these posts and share them on other platforms,” it said.
President Yameen on hate speech and limits of free expression
Three questioned in hate speech probe
College vandalised after protest against chairman accused of insulting Islam
Velezinee hospitalised and released from police custody
Roman god textbook exercises lead to blasphemy complaints
Muted response to death threat against president, vice president
